Doflamingo visited Ikaika a few times over the next six months after the fruit ordeal, sometimes to see if Geraldo and Pierce had developed any new side-effects, but most of the time it was for other business, business that Geraldo had no part of. The night that Geraldo remembers most is the last time Doflamingo came to visit in the second year that Karmen had been missing. He seemed especially pleased with himself and when he left, Ikaika was in a murderous rage. The lord went down to the basement alone. Saaresto had been called back to aid Willow on another matter, meaning there would be no comfort for the bodyguard after Ikaika was through with him. Pierce's screams lasted especially long that night, making Geraldo wonder if the news that had angered Ikaika was about the boy or Karmen somehow. It was frightening to consider what could make a man who was so calm and collected behave like this, and he wondered if his boss might actually kill the rat this time. Hours later, when the cries had died down into echoing whimpers, Ikaika summoned Geraldo to his office. Despite still growling when he spoke and his rumpled clothing, he looked much calmer. On his desk sat a small jar filled with amber liquid with two damaged, fleshy orbs floating inside. Despite his curiosity, he was more curious as to what Ikaika wanted him for, and that's where his eyes focused.
"I want you to make arrangements to travel back across the Red Line," he told him, "for you and an elite team to go ahead and for me and a small party to come after. Follow any orders Willow provides."
"Did he bring a lead?" Geraldo asked, unable to keep a hint of eagerness from his voice. It had been more than a year and a half of wasted searches and outposts that had devolved into social clubs. Any hint of fresh news was like blood in a shark tank.
Ikaika smiled, sensing his impatience. "It's possible. He said she may resurface soon but didn't give me definite evidence. Still, he wouldn't have come all this way if he wasn't certain." Despite his mood when the Warlord had left, Ikaika's anger doesn't seem directed towards him. Geraldo wonders if the feathered man wasn't the cause after all or if Ikaika had merely quelled it down in the basement.
Geraldo filed the paperwork first thing the next morning and waited for the government officials to respond. They were always quick about it when Dragons were involved, but this time wasn't fast enough for him. The days stretched on and he started feeling a bloodlust rising in him from the boredom. He hadn't been on a mission because Ikaika wanted him close when the permissions came. He could understand the logic behind it, but it didn't kill the time any faster. It would help if Ikaika would let him beat on Pierce a little more, but when he brought it up he was told that it would mess up his "tally count," whatever that meant. He was allowed to go down and torment the man verbally, but after a while he ran out of insults and jibes and having Pierce just sit there and take it became boring. No matter what insult he threw, Pierce never raised his face to look at him and that made Geraldo want to beat him all the more. Unfortunately Ikaika had the forethought to station a guard in the room as a deterrant to lay a single finger on the rat. Eventually he decided the boy wasn't worth his time. Besides, it was beginning to really stink from the infection and the bodies.
Geraldo spent time in the training grounds instead, trying to further master his new powers. He had some of the same powers Pierce had and some he didn't. He could make moth heads out of his hands but nothing else. They weren't quite as impressive without gnashing teeth, but he was given extra reach with the long tongue. He practiced strangling a fighting dummy with this. He could also produce the silky floss that could offer protection or containment. They were sharp enough to cut through most objects but they were nothing in comparison to Doflamingo's string-string powers. When he was fully transformed he was compelled to make squeaks and grunts, one which affected his sensory intake, and the other, as Doflamingo explained, could jam sonar, if used properly.
Finally, the orders came and Geraldo moved his team to Mariejois through the long metal elevator process. He could get there much faster with his powers, but he needed to stay with his rations. His need for sugar had grown immensely with his power use. He was constantly sipping various sweet and fruity drinks, nearly replacing his water intake entirely.
Once inside the city, he and his units were transported directly to the Davenwell property. Willow was there with her cousin, one of the main members of the family. Saint Shalulia, he thinks she's called. They were talking about pistol care and upgrades. When she saw him, she excused herself and called him into a private meeting room. He gave her a rundown of the missions they'd completed while with Ikaika and of their little success in tracking Karmen, despite their growth in influence. She had a collection of letters from Karmen too, but her investigations had yielded nothing either. She was different than he was used to, more reserved, less trigger happy. He found it boring, especially after he found out his orders were to wait for news of Karmen to surface. Apparently, Doflamingo had been visiting her too, keeping her informed on the SMILE progression and giving her progress reports of his own. Maybe he was trying to win her favor, not that he'd ever had an opening with Willow. If anything, it gave him an excuse to show his face in Mariejois.
Geraldo was still there when the report from Enies Lobby came. A definite sighting, according to the man who fought her. Corgi had suffered brutally under her hand, reportedly still twitching afterward for days. She'd used some sort of poison on him that made his skin crawl and he still looked for something to brush off in small fits of anxiety. Geraldo saw the picture he took, the one they were printing in the wanted posters, alive only, and he knew he was right. Those cold eyes were familiar. He knew the turn of those shoulders as she looked down on someone like that, despite her hair being covered and a veil hiding her face. Those eyes were unique, the curve of those arms were graceful, like she was about to break into dance. Willow saw it too. She gave her specific instructions on what he was and was not allowed to do in order to capture Karmen and for a moment he remembered every lesson in loyalty Zaytsev gave him. He felt a sense of pride being under her command again. "Go," she said. "Bring her home." Before he was dismissed she whispered another order in his ear, giving him nearly free reign to make her regret everything she'd done.
Geraldo gave orders and his men arranged to descend the other side of the Red Line, but he couldn't wait for them. He stood there at night on the transportation docks, clouds parting slowly beneath him. The moon shone through down to the ocean far, far below. He spread his arms and fell forward, letting his instincts take him and his wing sprout. He'd find her. He'd bring her back. He'd show her how futile it was to resist. He went forward alone.
He knew the magnetic path from Water 7. He knew what islands they would stop at. She'd want to stay nondescript and therefore would aim for an island that wasn't even on most maps. She was smart, but not smart enough to evade him. He set himself up in the open window of a belltower and waited. Eventually, his patience paid off. He watched as the ship pulled into the harbor. It was different from the ones the Straw Hats reportedly traveled in, but it wasn't unusual for crews to have new ships built in the harbor town. The jolly-roger was the same, and that was good enough for him. They looked so carefree as they separated into their little groups to go shopping. It was hard for him to remain still when he saw her go off alone. He wanted to get her on the return trip. The reports said she may have been injured at Enies Lobby, so capturing her should have been easy. He wanted her to get her when she felt comfortable and safe. He wanted to rip that security from her and watch her as she wished she could beg for mercy.
When she was on her way back from the store with her bag a little more padded than before, he swooped down, landing silently in an alley just in front of her path. He stepped out and her eyes widened with recognition. Her mouth opened in what he thought was a gasp of horror, but instead, she screamed. "Straw Hats! Zoro!" He sewed her mouth closed with his floss to prevent her from calling out again. They were three blocks away from the ship, so only a member of her crew with superhuman senses would hear, but someone nearby may still alert one of them. He wanted to savor the terror in her eyes a little longer, but he knew he had to hurry.
It was the first time since Ikaika shot Pierce that he'd seen her, and seeing her truly afraid made him revel in the sense of power it brought. He kept his strings moving, sewing her to herself at every point he could find, trying to humiliate her as much as possible while making sure to leave the fewest amount of lasting marks. After all, she'd be a part of another wedding soon enough. She had to be left presentable. He laughed and finally spoke to her, opening with the line Willow had asked him to deliver, some sort of private message: "My string-string: floss model powers sure do come in handy in my line of work. Your mother said it may be hard to capture you. I never thought you'd be stupid enough to go shopping on your own." As he continued talking he danced thick strings in front of her eyes threateningly, putting on an arrogant facade, hoping that it would cover the fact that he'd barely put any of his powers to a practical use, that he didn't know all the messages being sent between Willow and Ikaika and who-knows-else, that there seemed to be so much going on in the background that was above his pay grade. He may have new power, but in the end, he was still Willow's bounty hunter.
She was shaking. He'd never seen her so afraid. It was such a beautiful sight that he wanted to revel in it. He kept his attack up, taking time to sew his initials into her shoulder. "I'll run these through your blood vessels to turn them red," he said in a low voice, leaning in close to add a level of menace. As he straightened up, he saw a man sliding around a nearby corner holding one sword and setting another in his teeth, a third stayed sheathed at his hip. His eyes were darkly hooded under his black bandana, but he could see the quiet rage there. He'd heard of this man. Roronoa Zoro, first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. Geraldo had followed this man's career closely when he was still in the business, as a professional curiosity. He never thought he'd meet the man in person, much less think that he'd be on the receiving end of his blades. As soon as he made eye contact he knew he'd toyed with Karmen too long. He had to move carefully or he'd be screwed.
Roronoa's eyes fell to Karmen who gave him some sort of signal. His teeth set harder into his katana's handle, but he resolved himself to follow her order. Had she hired the crew? Had she blackmailed them into aiding her? It would make sense as to why she'd been so hard to find. The Pirate Hunter ran forward, reversing his sword as he stepped, moving faster than Geraldo could react to. The sword slammed into his stomach and his vision went white. Pain. All he could feel was pain.
When sensation came back he found Roronoa's sword pressed to his throat. "Who are you?" His voice was low and gravely, his eyes darker than before. He was no longer angry. He was murderous. There wasn't room to talk his way out of this. In fact, with the blade already cutting into his Adam's apple, there wasn't room for talking period. Luckily Karmen answered for him.
"My mother sent him."
He chances a glance in her direction. She'd been cut loose from most of the strings he'd sewn into her, but she still looked weak and frail. She couldn't seem to stop herself from shaking as she plucked strings from her lips. She hadn't been prepared to encounter him, that much was certain. Had she grown soft while she'd been away or was she making herself appear like the helpless damsel? He still wasn't sure as she made Roronoa check her shoulder. His blade lightened enough on Geraldo's throat for him to swallow.
The man leaned over her with a familiarity as she pulled her shirt down low enough for him to see. "A.G." he read. "Looks like his initials."
She repeated what he'd said when he'd sewn them in, perfectly manipulating the swordsman's anger. She hadn't lost her touch. Ah. There was that look in her eyes. That air of superiority and disdain. She continued by saying. "So. You're the kind of man that likes to sign his work, huh?" As if they hadn't lived on the same properties for several years. "Zoro, why don't you return the favor. Feel free to use your full name. Scars on a man's back are shameful, right?" The man above him grinned darkly, eyes narrowing with satisfaction at Geraldo's given punishment for attacking her. He was thrown into the air and he felt the man's blades cutting into his back with quick succession. He wondered if the sear left behind in his skin was what Pierce felt every time Ikaika whipped him.
He fell back down to the street, giving a small groan of pain. He knew Roronoa had gone easy on him, despite the fact that he made his signature span Geraldo's entire back. He heard Karmen make another request, but for a moment the words didn't register in his mind until she was crawling towards him with a very sharp quill in her hand. She wasn't done with him yet. He'd come there to make her regret leaving, but she'd make sure he'd regret coming. He wasn't going back with her, that was for sure. She might as well kill him, because when he returned empty-handed he was as good as dead and they both knew it. Her eyes held no remorse as she began carving into his chest.